Dar es Salaam. Research on the use of solar energy in agriculture across three East African countries has revealed a marked improvement in both the volume and quality of media coverage.
The study, Media Coverage of Solar Energy and its Productive Use in Agriculture in East Africa, was conducted by the Africa Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
It found that reporting, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania, has grown, reflecting greater attention to solar energy as a critical public affairs issue.
According to the report, media coverage of solar energy rose by 79 percent, climbing from 63 stories in 2023 to 113 in 2024.
Despite this increase, the findings stressed that most published stories remained largely event-based, often initiated by government, non-governmental organisations, and civil society groups.
While enterprise and interpretive reporting showed modest growth, the absence of investigative journalism and in-depth analysis pointed to a missed opportunity to explore public accountability and the broader impact of solar energy on agriculture.
The study also noted regional disparities across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, with an overall variation of 30.1 percent.
In Kenya and Tanzania, newspapers drove the coverage, with Daily Nation and Mwananchi accounting for 65.1 percent and 52.9 percent of their respective national output.
In Uganda, the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation produced 63.9 percent of all published stories.
University of Dar es Salaam School of Journalism lecturer, Dr Darius Mukiza, said that through collaboration with ACME, and with support from the Mott Foundation, the project has been successfully implemented in the three countries.
“Since we began the project in 2023, baseline findings showed that reporting on solar energy was very limited. Over time, however, the increase in coverage has been encouraging,” he said.
He added that the team will continue working with media houses to provide training for journalists and editors with the aim of strengthening solar energy reporting.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Tanzania Editors’ Forum (TEF) Chairman, Mr Deudatius Balile, stressed that the media plays a crucial role in ensuring solar energy and agricultural issues receive the prominence they deserve.
“Energy matters are the backbone of development and should be treated as a national priority. Journalists and media houses are therefore urged to move beyond event-based reporting and pursue stories that are more engaging, narrative-driven, and reliable for audiences,” he said.
